


i can't stop you putting roots in my dreamland

by punkreggie (Delavalliere)



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: 3+1 Things, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Underage Drinking, can you tell i don't know how to tag this?, morons to lovers, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28325592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delavalliere/pseuds/punkreggie
Summary: He looks really good, is all. His hair is a little bit tousled from carrying the tree and Reggie constantly putting his hand through it, and his cheeks are that shade of red they get when he's really excited about something. He removed his jacket and flannel halfway through the decorating, giving Luke a perfect view of his surprisingly toned arms and flushed chest. And his eyes— fuck, his eyes look beautiful, vibrant green speckled with sparks of gold from the twinkle lights. Reggie has always been cute, even pretty, but Luke doesn't think he's thought of him as beautiful before.ORthree times luke realised he was in love with reggie and one time he said it out loud
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 197
Collections: jatpdaily secret santa 2020





	i can't stop you putting roots in my dreamland

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @danslevy on tumblr for the JATPDaily secret santa. 
> 
> Megan, I hope you like it. Happy Christmas.

**one.**

They're decorating the studio the first time it happens, taking him by surprise.

Luke had been picking extra shifts at the coffee shop he worked at so he could save enough to buy a real tree and begged his mom for weeks to let him borrow the ornaments and lights they didn't use for their tree. He hasn't seen the boys outside of practice or their weekly movie night for weeks now, but it's worth when he sees Reggie's entire face brighten up when he tells him about it. 

"Are we getting a tree?" he asks with a big smile from his place in the couch.

"Yeah, bro" Luke says, crossing the studio to sit next to Reggie. "I have the box of Christmas stuff my mom gave me so we just need to get a tree you like."

Reggie's parents aren't bad people, they're actually kinda cool sometimes, but they're also shitty parents sometimes, too. For the past three Christmases they have forgotten about Reggie's birthday because it's on Christmas Eve, and they don't decorate for Christmas because Reggie's mom doesn't like the smell of the trees, so Reggie's never had the full experience of decorating a tree. 

Last Christmas Luke's parents had invited him to help with the Patterson tree, but he's never got to decorate a tree that's his, so Luke is gonna fix that. 

"Is that even safe, though?" Alex asks from where he's seated on the floor. "Wouldn't that be like, a fire hazard?"

"Why would it be?" Bobby shrugs without looking up from his phone. "We already use the outlets for our amps, I don't think some Christmas lights are gonna be that much worse." 

"Yeah, and we'll make sure to turn everything off and unplug it whenever we're not here," Luke reasons

"I don't know, guys..."

Reggie pouts and gives him his best puppy eyes that he knows Alex can't resist. "Don't be a Grinch, Alex. It can be my birthday present." 

"And also," says Bobby, finally looking up, "if you say no, Luke will find a way to break in in the middle of the night to do it by himself anyway. We have joint custody of Sunset Curve's shared brain cell and if we're not here to supervise them, Reggie will break something and Luke will find a way to actually set the whole thing on fire."

"Hey!" Luke and Reggie protest but are pointedly ignored by the other two. 

"Come on, bro, it'll look rad and it _is_ Reggie's birthday after all," Bobby continues.

After a good moment of silence and twin begging looks from Luke and Reggie, Alex finally rolls his eyes and lets out a big, dramatic sigh. "Fine, we can have a tree. Only because I love you and you deserve to have a tree, but it so not your birthday present, okay?"

Reggie all but throws himself to Alex's arms to hug him. 

\---------------------------------------

Finding a tree they all agree on and was just the perfect size for the studio isn't as hard as Luke imagined it would be, and getting it to the Wilsons' isn't that hard complicated either since they're using their beat-up van to get it there, so they don't even have to tie it to the roof of the car. 

Getting it _inside_ the studio os a whole different story. It requires all four of the carrying it and Reggie scraps his hand when they almost drop it because Bobby stumbles with the the chord of one of their amps, and Luke is convinced he's never gonna get the smell of pine tree off his shirt but it doesn't matter once he has Reggie in his arms, thanking his and promising to repay him for it.

"None of that, Reg, it's a gift," he says, casually kissing Reggie in the cheek before going to check what's inside the box his mom gave him to start decorating the tree. 

Decorating the tree takes longer that Luke expected, already well into the evening by the time Reggie considers it was appropriately full of tinsel, ornaments and lights. The tree looks perhaps a little bit *too full*, but none of them care about it as long as Reggie is happy with it. It's his tree, after all.

Alex and Bobby had gone to buy some pizza and Chinese takeout from that place a couple blocks down the studio, so Luke and Reggie are alone in the studio putting the finishing touches on the tree. Luke is nervous about being alone with Reggie, which makes no sense because they've known each other since elementary school and have been alone multiples times before. In fact, they used to spend all of their time alone before they met Alex and Bobby in middle school. It's just that there is something different about Reggie today.

He looks really good, is all. His hair is a little bit tousled from carrying the tree and Reggie constantly putting his hand through it, and his cheeks are that shade of red they get when he's really excited about something. He removed his jacket and flannel halfway through the decorating, giving Luke a perfect view of his surprisingly toned arms and flushed chest. And his eyes— _fuck, his eyes look beautiful_ , vibrant green speckled with sparks of gold from the twinkle lights. Reggie has always been cute, even pretty, but Luke doesn't think he's thought of him as beautiful before.

"Hey, Luke, can you help me with this?" Reggie asks from behind him, rummaging through the box of decorations. 

"What's up, bug?"

Reggie holds up two tree toppers Luke recognises from when he was younger, before his mom got the angel one they've put on their three since he was seventeen. "We need a topper for our tree. Which one do you like better?"

Luke carefully examines his options, a silver one shaped like a snowflake and a red and gold star, before deciding the red one. 

"This one," he says, pointing at the star. "Red is your favourite colour." 

Reggie flashes him another one of his smiles and it makes Luke's heart do weird things inside his chest and he's sure he's blushing now.

"Do you wanna do it?" Reggie asks, handing him the star. 

"Are you sure?" Luke hesitates. "Placing the tree topper is kind of a big thing, don't you wanna do it?"

Reggie nods with a smile. "I know that, but I would really like it if you did it."

Luke takes the topper with a smile and places it on top of their tree, careful not to move any of the ornament or tip the tree down to the floor. He takes a second to look at the it and admire how pretty it looks with its mismatched ornaments and pretty lights, until Reggie's arm wraps around his shoulder and takes him out of his almost trance. 

"Thank you," Reggie says, looking into Luke's eyes with a smile. "I know it looks a little bit crazy, and you didn't have to buy me a tree, but today was nice so... Thank you for that." 

Luke turns so he was face to face with Reggie and cups his hand against his cheek, bringing their faces closer so they were only a couple inches apart. 

"None of that," he says, smiling at Reggie. "It looks great and you deserve a tree, Reg. It was no biggie, I promise, and if you like it and are happy with it it's all that matters."

Reggie smiles at him before closing their distance and resting his forehead against Luke's. He is a couple inches taller than Luke but it works up fine. 

He doesn't know for how long they stay like that, but Luke can feel the way their noses are touching and how they're so close he can *feel* Reggie's breath. All he would have to do is angle his angle his face up just a little bit and their lips would touch. He doesn't know where the thought comes from, but he realises he wouldn't mind kissing Reggie right now, and for a moment he thinks he sees something in Reggie's eyes that tell him he's feeling the same.

But the moment ends abruptly when the boys come back kicking the doors of the studio open. Bobby is holding two pizzas and Alex's hands are busy with takeout bags and a six-pack of Coke, so Luke takes his hands off Reggie's face to go help them put it all down on the coffee table before they drop something. He is only slightly disappointed he didn't get to kiss Reggie, but isn't sure why. He doesn't even know why he wanted to kiss him in the first time

"Everything okay?" Alex asks him in a whisper, giving him a funny look. "It looked like you guys were having a moment." 

"Nah, man, just Reggie saying thank you," Luke shrugs. 

"Right..." Alex said, giving Luke a look that made his nervous. Alex has always been good at reading Luke and knowing how he feels even before Luke figures it out himself but he would never say or do anything that would make him uncomfortable, and he usually leaves him alone about it for Luke to work it out before he says anything.

"Let's eat up, boys, it's Christmas!" Reggie says, putting his arms around Luke's shoulders. Luke hopes he can't see the ways he's blushing down to his neck. 

And as he watches his best friend shove food into his mouth like he hasn't had a meal in months Luke is hit with the realisation that he has a crush on Reggie, has had one for the longest time.

*

**two.**

"Haven't seen you much this week," Alex starts the conversation, eyeing Luke warily.

They're at the coffee shop Luke works at, seated on a table near the back during his lunch break.

"What do you mean? We saw each other at practice yesterday," Luke says.

"Yeah, and you practically ran out of the studio as soon as we were done. You didn't even stay for movie night," Alex sighs, looking at Luke with a frown. "We watched Die Hard, by the way, because you keep saying that's your favourite Christmas movie and it was Reggie's turn to pick the movie and he wanted to do something nice for you. He's sweet like that."

Luke groans and slaps his forehead against the table, because this is Alex's passive-aggressive way of telling him he's being an asshole.

After 'The Tree Incident', as Luke has been calling it, he's tried not spend too much time alone with Reggie, so whenever he's not at band practice he's at work. He's been working a lot of extra hours and picking up second shifts telling his parents it was because he wanted to save money so they could afford a new van that would actually be useful for getting to gigs and not a death trap in wheels. And it wasn't even a lie, they really needed money to replace it, Christine (name courtesy of Bobby, who thought he was being really by naming it that) had been falling apart since the moment they bought it. It just wasn't the whole truth either.

He knows he's being a coward and a little stupid for avoiding Reggie over something he has absolutely no control over o even knew about, it was just that Luke didn't know what to do with this new information. He's never had a crush on one of his friends before, and he's afraid he's gonna do something that will make Reggie notice it and it'll end badly. He doesn't think he'd be able to survive the heartbreak if Reggie decided to stop being friends with him because had a stupid crush he couldn't control.

"I'm just worried, bro, because last week you were practically begging on your knees for us to help you get a tree for Reggie to decorate and then the next day you're avoiding us. Avoiding Reggie," Alex explains, smiling softly at him. "Did something happen? Between you and Reggie, I mean. It was all fine when Bobby and I left but you started acting all weird when we came back. Did you guys fight or something?!

"Nothing happened, Alex," Luke says, finally lifting his face up the table and looking at him. "I was just being an idiot, that's all."

"Well, that''s nothing new, is it?" Alex jokes. 

"I promise I will apologise to Reggie and make it up to him, okay?" 

"Okay," Alex concedes. "But how?"

Luke looks at him confused. "What do you mean 'how'?"

Alex rolls his eyes at him. He does that so much that Luke's afraid on of these days he's gonna get stuck like that or something.

"I mean that Reggie was pretty hurt last night when you left," Alex explains. "So how can I be sure you are actually gonna fix it and make it up to him and not just make it worse?" 

Reggie is everyone's favourite member, and everyone who knows Sunset Curve can see that, but Alex and Reggie share a deeper bond, so of course the blond is incredibly protective of the bassist and would do anything for him. Luke once saw how Alex tore apart a kid from their history class with just his words because he said Reggie's head was filled with hot air because he didn't know the answer to a question and swore he would never do anything that made Alex give him that look that said he wasn't above committing murder because Reggie was hurt. 

"I don't know," Luke says. "Can't I just apologise to him and promise I won't do it again?"

"Not unless you tell him *why* you did it in the first place because otherwise he's gonna think *he* did something that upset you," Alex sighs, looking at him directly in the eye. "He's gonna think it was his fault unless you tell him exactly why you were acting like an asshole to him all week."

And Luke hadn't even considered that. Of course Reggie would think it was his fault instead of just Luke being childish and scared.

"He thinks it's his fault?" Luke asks, voice breaking a little.

"You started acting like this after whatever happened while you guys were decorating the tree alone, Luke, of course he thinks he did something that upset you. You know how he is."

Luke stays quiet for a minute, weighting his possibilities. He wants to make it up to Reggie and assure him it wasn't anything he did, but he isn't ready to tell Reggie about his feelings, yet. It's still pretty new and he's not done figuring things out, haven't even considered telling Reggie.

"I want to make it up to him," he finally says after a couple minutes in silence. "But I'm not ready to tell him why just yet. Not all of it."

Alex looks at him for a good minute, and Luke can tell he's trying to decide how sincere he's being and if he should help him.

"Fine, I'll help you come up with something," he concedes. "But you gotta promise you're not gonna do it again, okay?"

"Deal."

\---------------------------------------------

Alex's solution is making dinner for Reggie, and Luke can't help but feel like he's being set up, but he's got no other ideas so he goes with it.

The day after the conversation at the coffee shop, they cancel band practice for the day and spend the whole afternoon looking up recipes for homemade pizza. Alex helps him make the dough and properly prepare Reggie's favourite toppings, making sure everything is perfect for when Reggie gets there.

Luke's parents are away for the weekend visiting his aunt in Fresno, so they have the house for themselves, and he isn't sure if that helps or make him even more nervous. He's glad he's gonna get to talk to Reggie without anyone interrupting or bothering them, but he's also about to have dinner with the guy he's crushing on, in an empty house with nowhere to hide.

"You need to relax or this isn't gonna work, bro," Alex sighs. "Why are you so nervous? He's gonna love it, and once you explain yourself everything will be fine again, if you're worried he's not gonna forgive you. It's gonna be fine, dude."

And he's right, of course, but it's not that what's making him nervous. The whole thing is looking too much like a date and it's confusing Luke's head, because it's not and he doesn't want to do anything stupid like telling Reggie about his crush when he's not ready yet, but Alex doesn't know that.

"I'm relaxed, it's okay," Luke says, defensibly. 

Alex gives him a quizzical look but doesn't say anything more and gets back to cutting the peppers. 

By the time they're done it's twenty minutes before Reggie is supposed to arrive, so Alex leaves after giving him a hug and telling him to "please don't fuck it up". 

It's too late for Luke to get a shower unless he wants for his hair to be soaking wet when Reggie gets there, so he just changes to the outfit Alex picked up for him and fixing his hair. Ten minutes later he's back at the kitchen wearing a shirt with actual sleeves and buttons and the only pair of jeans he owns that aren't ripped or two sizes too big for him, putting the two pizzas they made inside the oven. He's checking on them to make sure they're not burning when he bell rings, and Luke absolutely doesn't jump when he hears. 

Reggie gives him a shy smile when he opens the door, looking just as nervous as Luke feels. He's wearing his usual black jeans and leather jacket outfit, but instead of a tank top he's wearing a deep red button down. His hair is brushed back and his cheeks are just slightly pink. He looks so good it momentarily takes Luke's breath away.

"So what is this, then?" Reggie asks once Luke remembers his manners and lets him inside the house.

"This-" Luke says, taking the pizzas out of the oven and placing them in the counter. "-is an apology. I'm sorry I've been an asshole this week, Reg. I needed space to think about something and forgot to use my words. Sorry about that."

"I thought I did something that made you upset," Reggie says, looking down at his feet instead of Luke. 

Luke wraps his arms around his waist, hugging him. "You didn't, bug, and I'm sorry I made you feel that way." He says into the crook of his neck.

Reggie hugs him back and they stay like that for a moment, just holding each other. Luke can feel Reggie's breath in his neck and the way his arms are wrapped around his waist is making his heart beat faster and his knees turn to jello, but he decides this is his favourite place in the world. Crush or not, hugging Reggie has always been one of his favourite things to do, because he gives the best hugs and Luke always feel safe inside Reggie's arms.

"The food will get cold," Reggie says into his neck, and Luke lets go of him reluctantly.

Reggie carries the conversation while they eat, almost like he's telling Luke at once all of the things he didn't get to tell him the past week. He tells him all about the trouble his sister is getting up to in New York, now that she's permanently moved there, and how last movie night Bobby farted so loud it startled them all and they couldn't laughing about it for five minutes straight. 

Luke's belly is full with pizza and butterflies and he's drunk on wine they're way too young to drink and Reggie's presence. And this time he's barely surprised when the thinks how he would like to do with Reggie forever. Last week the realisation hit him like an electric shock that made his body stiff and activated his fight or flight, it made his body stiff and brain malfunction. It scared him and surprised him all at once. 

This time, though, he just feels warm. Like he's getting inside a hot bath or someone is embracing him. He's happy and safe, and when he thinks 'I have a crush on Reggie' it feels natural, like it was inevitable. And when looks up at Reggie, with his earnest smile and bright eyes, he realises it really was. He never stood a chance and he's okay with that. He likes Reggie, he has _feelings_ for Reggie, and it's the best thing that's ever happened to him.

*

**three.**

The party is in full swing when the boys get there. 

They weren't really planning on going, but Willie had insisted they came and Alex is a fool in love who couldn't say no to his boyfriend, so here they are. 

It's the day before Christmas Eve -and Reggie's birthday- and Luke can think of twenty different things he would rather be doing instead of being at some frat party. And honestly, who the fuck throws a Christmas party in a frat house? But Alex gets nervous around crowds so wherever he goes, Reggie follows. And if Reggie is there Luke must be two steps behind, that's how they've worked since they were kids. Bobby is there because he genuinely enjoys parties and also to make sure none of his dumbasses does something stupid. 

Luke is nursing a beer that's gone warm already while he watches Alex, Willie and Bobby engage in a particularly violent game of Uno. Bobby and Alex are the most competitive people he knows, and he learned better than to give in to their tendencies after that time Alex threw one of sticks at him while playing Clue when they were fifteen, but Willie seems to be giving them a run for their money, too. He hopes the game ends before someone decides to start biting (Alex) or throwing punches (Bobby) at the others. 

Reggie is on the other side of the room, talking to one of the girls from his science class, and Luke is trying really hard not to stare. She's really pretty and looks like she's really into whatever story Reggie is telling him, and Luke knows he has no right to be jealous but he can't help it. Ever since he came into peace with the fact that he had feelings for Reggie that went beyond friendship, he's been looking for the perfect chance to confess them. He doesn't know what Reggie will say, and he doesn't want to think about what would happen if Reggie doesn't feel the same, but he can't keep it down any more. 

Because Luke knows it's not a crush, anymore. He's in love with him, and he doesn't think he can hide his feelings anymore. 

He's certain Alex's knows, because he keeps giving him these looks whenever he's close to Reggie, and sooner or later the others are gonna catch up to it, too, with the way he keeps blushing whenever Reggie touches him and completely loses his ability to function when he takes off his jacket or flannel and stays in only his tank top.

"You're thinking really loud," Bobby says besides him. It seems like the game ended without anyone getting a black eye or any furniture being permanently damaged. 

"How can you think loud?" he asks.

"What Bobby means-" Alex interjects from the other side of the couch where he's cuddling Willie. "-is that you're doing that face you do when you're worrying about things you shouldn't worry about."

Luke scoffs. "I don't make a face, dude."

"You do, though, it looks kinda like..." Alex says, and proceeds to frown intensely demonstrate what Luke's face supposedly look like. 

"My face doesn't do that, Alexander."

"It really does, bro," Willie laughs. "Looks like an angry puppy."

Luke flips them off and turns to look at Reggie again but he and the girl aren't there anymore. He swallows the lump that forms in his throat and ignores the pit that forms in his stomach. 

"Let's go get some drinks, Luke," Alex says, pointing to the table with the drinks with his head.

"I already have a drink," he protests, but Alex gives him a look that had Luke getting up on his feet to follow him anyway. 

"So," Alex starts once they're by the table and he's pouring Coca-Cola in a solo cup. "What's that about?"

"What's what about?" 

"The way you're looking like someone just kicked your puppy," Alex explains, looking at him.

Luke knows there's no point in pretending he doesn't know what Alex is talking about, so he downs the rest of his warm beer in one sip before answering. 

"It's nothing, 'Lex, you don't need to worry about it."

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with Reggie ditching us to go talk to Julie?" Alex insists. "Because you don't get to be possessive when you refuse to tell him how you feel." 

Oh, so they're doing this, okay. Luke would have liked it not to do this at a shitty frat party next to the table filled with cheap alcohol, but here they are.

"I know that," Luke sighs. "But I haven't found the right time to tell him, and I'm not even sure I should say anything. What if he doesn't like me back and things get awkward and it breaks up the band?"

"Okay. First off, nothing short of all of us dying could break up the band," Alex reasons. "And even if Reggie doesn't feel the same he would never make things awkward. He loves you, bro, and I'm sure you would find a way to still be friends. And it's not my place to tell you what you should do about the way you feel, but I think it's worth a shot, don't you think?"

"When did you became a relationship guru?" Luke laughs, hugging Alex. 

"I mean, I am the one in a healthy and loving relationship, aren't I?" 

They go back to the couch with their new drinks in hand to Willie and Bobby in the middle of an arm wrestling battle, and Luke prays that this one doesn't end in someone rushing to the ER like last time.

\------------------------------------------

They stay there for a while, the four of them talking about college applications and weather or not The Rolling Stones are best band to ever exist, before Reggie comes by, followed by the same girl from before.

"What are you doing?" he asks, sitting next to Luke and wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

"Just talking, bro," Bobby answers. "Luke keeps saying The Stones are the best band but Alex and I think it's Led Zeppelin."

"You're all wrong. Lynyrd Skynyrd is obviously the best bad ever," Reggie says, making them groan. Reggie discovered southern rock when they were in ninth grade and kept insisting ever since that Sunset Curve should start experimenting with country sounds.

"No, no. The Eagles are the best band, so you're also wrong, Reg," the girl says, standing next to Reggie. 

"Oh, shit, sorry. Guys this is Julie Molina," Reggie says with a smile. "She's in my science class and her dad is the photographer I was talking to you about the other day."

With graduation approaching quickly the boys had to make the decision of going to college and focus on trying to make it as a band. They had a pretty decent following and were regulars in several open mic and showcase places, but they would finally be of age to play clubs and things would hopefully take from there, so last month they had put all of their savings together so they could afford recording studio and recorded a demo. The plan is to start distributing it around once winter break was over, take it to record labels and carry copied of it with them whenever they had a gig so they could offer them to potential manager or talent scouts, but they still needed pictures for it so Reggie suggested they ask this photographer he knew. 

"Hi, Julie," Alex greets her even though he obviously already knows her. "What did you dad say?"

"He's down for it," she says, sitting down in the couch next to Alex. "You guys just need to pick a date for it and he'll gladly do a photoshoot for your demo."

"Sick!" Luke high-fives Bobby and Reggie. 

They continue talking about anything and everything, and Luke starts to feel like an idiot for being jealous of Julie when she's obviously only friends with Reggie. And she's really cool, too. She's in a band with her two best friends and after she shows them a couple of their songs in her phone he can't stop talking about music with her. He's so into the conversation he doesn't realise it kinda looks like he's flirting with her, because Luke keeps complimenting her voice and how cool her songs are, and even asks her to come by their studio some time so they try writing something together. But that's just Luke being himself, and he recognises talent when he finds it.

He sees out of the corner of his eye the way Alex is looking at him, but he ignores it and instead keeps talking to Julie about Taylor Swift's newest album and what new music they've been listening to lately until Julie looks at her phone and yelps. 

"Shit, I need to go, guys, my dad is here. It was nice finally meeting you, Luke," she smiles at him. "Let me know when you're free for that songwriting session."

"Oh, sure, what's your phone? I'll text you," he says, putting out his phone to enter Julie's contact before hugging her goodbye when she lefts. 

"I'm gonna go get some air," Reggie says after a minute of complete silence, getting up and giving them a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. 

Luke watches as he walks away down the same hall Julie left a minute ago, and when he looks at Alex he knows he did something wrong. 

"What?" he asks, confused. 

"That was so not cool, bro," Bobby says, frowning at him.

"Yeah, dude, that was an asshole move," Willie agrees.

And if looks could kill, Luke would be six feet under with the way Alex is looking at him. 

"What?" he repeats, looking at the three of them.

"You were flirting with Julie," Bobby explains. 

Luke lets out a laugh. "No I was not."

"It sure looked like that, bro," Willie says. "You kept saying she has the voice of an angel, and that thing at the end? Asking her for her number? That's a classing flirting move."

"She has the voice of an angel. You guys heard the songs too, I know you agree. And I asked for her number so we could talk about writing together." 

"You asked her to come by the studio to check us out when we practice," Bobby continues. 

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You never let us have an audience when we practice, you say it's a distraction."

Okay, that's not true. Luke doesn't like having people who don't understand music the same way they do watch then when they practice, but he offered Julie because maybe she has some tips on how they can perform better or what adjustments they can do to their set so it's at it's best. 

"Wait, you guys thought I was trying to flirt with Julie?" Luke asks, and then it hits him. "Did Reggie think I was flirting with Julie?"

"For sure he did," Alex finally speaks, making Luke wince from how mad he sounded. 

"Fuck," Luke says, jumping out of the couch and onto his feet. "Shit. I need to talk to him."

"No, you don't," Alex says, grabbing him by the wrist to avoid him from going after Reggie. "Not unless you're ready to tell him about who you actually have a crush on. And you need to talk to Julie, too. Tell her you weren't meaning to flirt with her."

"I will," he promises, looking at Alex with pleading eyes. "I'll explain to her later, okay? But I need to find Reggie first. Please."

Alex looks at him with anger and disappointment in his eyes, and there's a moment where Luke thinks he's about to punch him before he sighs and drops the hand holding him back. "Fix this."

"I will," Luke repeats and starts walking towards the direction Reggie left.

* 

**+1**

He finds Reggie seated in the driveway after looking for him for a good fifteen minutes. He's looking at something in his phone and jumps a little when Luke sits next to him.

"Hey," Luke whispers, smiling softly at him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Reggie says, but his voice breaks a little and Luke can tell he's been crying. 

"Are you sure?" Luke asks, taking Reggie's hand between his. 

Reggie looks down at their joined hands and takes a deep breath before saying, "Actually, I'm not."

Luke looks at him with an open expression, encouraging him to keep talking. 

"You were flirting with Julie, and I didn't like that."

"I'm sorry," Luke says, sincerely. "I really wasn't trying to, I just got carried away. I will talk to her, explain I didn't mean it that way."

"What do you mean you didn't mean it?" Reggie asks, frowning. 

"Well, she seems cool and her music is amazing, but I don't like her like that."

Reggie yanks his hand out Luke's and quickly stands up. "Then what the fuck was that? Because it certainly looked like you were interested, Luke, and that's a shitty thing to do if you don't mean it."

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Luke defends himself, standing up to so he can look at Reggie's face. "That's just how I am!"

"Oh, so you just go around leading people on, then? Having them think you're interested in them when that's just how you are. She's my friend, Luke, and you can't go around doing that to people!"

"Why are you yelling at me, huh?" Luke snaps, raising his voice to match Reggie's tone. "I came here to make sure you're okay and all I get is you screaming for nothing."

Reggie scoffs and rolls his eyes. He turns around and begins walking down the street, away from Luke.

"Where are you going?" 

"Home!" Reggie yells. "You're being an idiot so I'm going home." 

"What the fuck, Reggie?" Luke continues talking as he walks behind Reggie, and yanks him by the arm so he stops walking. Reggie turns around to look him with and outraged expression but Luke cuts him off before he can say anything.

"I came here to explain myself and tell you I wasn't flirting with Julie because I'm in love with someone else." 

Luke is barely aware of his own words. He's been waiting for the right moment to tell Reggie and yelling at each other in the driveway of some fat house two days before Christmas isn't the ideal scenario, but it was now or never, right?

Reggie's face had morphed into shock, and doesn't move when Luke drops his arms so he can get closer to him until they're inches away, looking into each others' eyes.

"I wasn't flirting with Julie because I'm in love with you, Reggie," Luke says, looking down at their feet instead of into Reggie's eyes. "I didn't know how to tell you, and didn't want to make things weird between us if you didn't feel the same, so that's why I didn't say anything. That's why I was so weird after we put up the tree at the studio. I realised I had feelings for you and didn't know what to do about it, so I decided to be a coward and avoid you, and I'm still sorry for that."

"I do," Reggie says in a whisper, and when Luke looks up into his eyes he can see tears starting to form in his eyes. 

"What?"

"I feel the same way," Reggie clarifies, "That's why I was so mad you were flirting with Julie."

"You do?" Luke breaths, closing the distance between them so their foreheads are resting against the other and his hand moves to the back of Reggie's head. 

"Yeah," Reggie whispers. "Since we were kids."

And Luke doesn't have time to ask about that because then their lips are touching. Reggie's kissing him and it's so much better than he imagined it would be. His lips are soft against his and he tastes like the mint gum, and when he puts his hand in Luke's cheek he can feel his knees go weak. 

They pull apart after a while, and Luke can't believe the look of adoration in Reggie's eyes is for him. He's the one he's looking at like that.

"I love you," Reggie says, pulling him into another kiss.

Luke is beaming when he replies, "I love you, too."

**Author's Note:**

> megan, i know you said you really liked friends to lovers and coffee shop AUs, and i really tried to make this a coffee shop au but it ended up going somewhere else and i went with it. hope you liked it. 
> 
> the tiitle is from ivy by taylor swift and it's completely unrelated to the story, i just liked it.
> 
> i'm on tumblr as @reggiesmolina


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